This Week: Pulitzer Prize Winner Kristof on Wednesday, Let’s Talk Books on Tuesday

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Photo: Ken Gloss, owner of the Brattle Street Book Shop.

On the government side of “This Week”:

  • Community Meeting on Grove Street Playground will be held on Monday, April 13, at 7 p.m. at the Beech Street Center. A first look at some draft proposals that would be part of a new Master Plan for the playground.
  • The Belmont School Committee is meeting on Tuesday, April 14, at 7 p.m. at the Chenery Middle School to discuss the fiscal 2016 budget now that the Proposition 2 1/2 override was approved by voters. It will also discuss school choice and vote on the final day of school.
  • A full agenda at the Belmont Conservation Commission being held on Tuesday, April 14 at 7 p.m. at Town Hall. It will discuss a proposal to allow parking on Rock Meadow for a week in June (9-14) to accommodate the PGA’s Senior Players Tournament being played at Belmont Country Club.

• Nichole Bernier will speak on her debut bestselling novel “The Unfinished Work of Elizabeth D.” at the Belmont Public Library’s Books and Bites event today, Monday, April 13 at 11 a.m. in the Assembly Room. 
A New England Independent Booksellers Association award finalist that spent eight weeks on The Boston Globe bestseller list, the novel is a portrait of two women and two families through the lens of one mother’s posthumous journals is a thoughtful exploration of the struggle for identity that women face.
Bernier is a writer for magazines, including Psychology Today and Boston Magazine and a 14-year contributing editor with Conde Nast Traveler.
All are welcome to attend this free program. Books will be available for purchase and signing. Refreshments will be provided. The Assembly Room is handicapped accessible.

• Dr. Tara Grimm of Bennett Family Eye Care in Belmont will give a talk on low vision – when a loss of eyesight makes everyday tasks difficult – on Monday, April 13, 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the Belmont Public Library’s Assembly Room.

• On Monday, April 13, at 7 p.m. at the Chenery Middle School, Breaking Winds – yes, that’s its name – a quartet of bassoonists will be performing a free concert after giving a master class at the school. They will be doing a Lady Gaga melody. This concert is all made possible by POMS (Parents of Music Students).

• Tuesday is story time at both of Belmont libraries. 
• Pre-School Story Time at the Benton Library, Belmont’s independent and volunteer run library, at 10:30 a.m. Stories and crafts for children age 3 to 5. Parents or caregivers must attend. Siblings may attend with adults. Registration is not required. The Benton Library is located at the intersection of Oakley and Old Middlesex. 
• The Belmont Public Library on Concord Avenue will be holding two sessions of Story Time for 2’s and 3’s, at 9:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. 

• State Rep. Dave Rogers holds office hours on Tuesday, April 14 at 9:30 a.m.

• Ken Gloss, owner of the Brattle Street Book Shop, brings his expert opinion on appraising books, book collecting and selling to the Belmont Public Library on Tuesday, April 14 at 7 p.m.   Ken is often featured talking about books and their values on local and national television and radio programs. Major universities such as Harvard, Boston University, Boston College, Northeastern, Simmons, Suffolk, Tufts, and Babson have consulted with him on the value of their collections. The Brattle Street Book Shop, founded in the Cornhill section of Boston in 1825, has been in the hands of the Gloss Family since 1949. The program is open and free to all thanks to the generosity of the Friends of the Belmont Public Library.

• The International Fiction Book Club will discuss How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia by Mohsin Hamid, in the Belmont Public Library’s Flett Room on Wednesday, April 15, from 7 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. Everybody is welcome. If you have questions, or need help finding a copy of either book, contact Kylie at ksparks@minlib.net
• The Parent/Teacher Band Concert will be held in the Chenery Middle School’s auditorium beginning at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 15. 

• The Belmont Historical Society presents actor Gerry Wright who will present his one-man play honoring the life and work of Frederick Law Olmsted, the father of landscape architecture who designed the grounds of McLean Hospital and Boston’s Emerald Necklace among many other famous parks, on Wednesday, April 15, 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Belmont Public Library’s Assembly Room.

• New York Times columnist, author and Pulitzer prize winner Nicholas Kristof will speak on his book, “A Path Appears: Transforming Lives, Creating Opportunity,” on Wednesday, April 15, 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Belmont High School’s auditorium.

• Well-loved local musician Liz Buchanan performs original songs and traditional favorites on Friday, April 17 from 10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. in the Belmont Public Library’s Assembly Room.

• State Sen. Will Brownsberger will be holding office hours on Friday, April 17, 10 a.m. at the Beech Street Center.

This Weekend: Some Big Easy Music Saturday, Powers Piano Festival

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Photo: Sam Dechenne of Sammy D and the Late Risers.

• “Sammy D and the Late Risers” bring New Orleans, Dixieland jazz, and Mardi Gras to Belmont on Saturday, April 11 at 3 p.m. in the Belmont Public Library’s Assembly Room.

Formed in the summer of 2009, “Sammy D and the Late Risers” is made up of some of the finest musicians in the area – Sam Dechenne (trumpet), Jonathan Polit (clarinet), Eric Royer (banjo), and Josiah Reibstein (tuba) – playing classic Dixieland and New Orleans repertoire. When not playing concerts you can see them strolling around Downtown Crossing in Boston playing for the suited community. Music on Saturday is free to all thanks to the sponsorship of the Friends of the Belmont Public Library.

• Celebrating its 51st year, the 2015 Mildred Freiberg Piano Festival is a weekend-long celebration consists of multiple concerts and performances by students from all over the region.  This festival has become a tradition for students in grades K-12. Over the years, the festival concerts have celebrated both a student’s first performance and the exciting accomplishments of more mature artists. 

Saturday, April 11, All Saints’ Church, 17 Clark St.
Brewster Hall Concerts at 1:30, 3:00, 4:30, 6:00, and 7:30 p.m.
Sanctuary Concerts at 4:30. 6:00. and 7:30 pm

Sunday, April 12, Payson Park Church, 365 Belmont St.

Gardner Hall Concerts at 1:30, 3:00, 4:30, 6:00, and 7:30 pm

Sanctuary Concerts at 4:30. 6:00. and 7:30 pm

Note: Concerts are primarily grouped according to age with the evening concerts reserved for high school students. 

 

Light at the End of the Tunnel for Commuter Rail Work in Belmont

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Photo: A corner in Belmont being modify to allow commuter rail trains to travel up to 50 mph on the curve.

There will be a pair of noisy weekends in June and one weekend that month which a major Belmont road will be closed, but according to representatives from the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, the final bit of heavy construction on the commuter line in Belmont will be completed by the time the 4th of July comes around.

“We should have the cross-over rails installed as well as new signals at Brighton Road by the end of June,” Joe Nolan, a MBTA consultant told the Belmontonian after a presentation the authority made to the Belmont Board of Selectmen on Wednesday, April 8 to update the public and board on the status of the three-year Fitchburg Commuter Rail Line Improvement Project that runs through Belmont.

With the completion of this major work, “the only work needed will be making sure the new systems are performing as expected,” said Nolan.

But it will be two weekends – including night work – in June in which residents along Channing Road and surrounding streets will be subject to lights, traffic and noise associated with the laying of cross-over tracks, which guides commuter trains from one track to another.

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In addition, the installation of modern signaling at the Brighton Road crossing will require that road near the intersection with Hittinger Street to be closed for a weekend also in June, said Eric Fleming, the MBTA’s project oversight manager.

When the final dates for the work are scheduled, the abutters and the town will receive either a flier or an email notice on the time and date of the overnight work.

The project is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2015. Until then, weekend service on the line will be suspended beginning on April 25 and running through Nov 22.

The $306 million project, which is financed by federal transportation grants, is expected to increase performance and lower travel times from Boston’s North Station to Fitchburg by installing new tracks and curb modifications to trains so they can travel up to 80 mph in certain areas of the route. There is also new and improved infrastructure such as new bridges and stations, parking garages and warning signals.

When told that trains will be traveling as fast as 80 mph in Belmont (when the tracks enter Belmont at the Cambridge line), Selectman Mark Paolillo asked if the Board could request those speeds be lower to the current 60 mph limit.

Nolan said that since the trains will likely be stopping at Belmont Station (in Belmont Center), the speed will be coming down rapidly as it approaches the station. In addition, even if an express train comes through the same station, it will be limited to 50 mph since it is on a curve.

He also told the board that allowing trains to run faster “was the objective of the MBTA” when accepting the project.

Paolillo said the new top-end speed is troublesome since generations of school children and some adults illegally trespass onto the tracks from the Winn Brook neighborhood to reach Belmont High School.

Fleming said such behavior by mostly young residents was something the town “can’t turn a blind eye to” pointing to the lack of enforcement to prevent the activity from occurring. He noted the MBTA has programs to inform the public of the dangers of walking along active rail tracks and would be willing to come to the High School with a presentation.

While Paolillo asked if funding could be secured to assist in the building of a tunnel or overpass in the area, Nolan said no designs or money was set aside in the project for such a use.

When told the best approach would request the funds from the legislature, Paolillo said the town should “accelerate” talks with State Sen. Will Brownsberger and State Rep. Dave Rogers on relaying the need for a permanent solution.

While several Channing Road residents told the board and the MBTA that construction-related “vibrations” had resulted in structural damage to their homes, Fleming said the type of work in Belmont was akin to “replacing a water main” and not the jack-hammering associated with construction of roadways.

Wearing Your Passion on a T: ‘Make A Statement Day’ At Belmont High

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Photo: Belmont High senior Lexi Herosian with her “Make a Statement Day” T-shirt.

The saying goes that some people wear their heart on their sleeve.

On Friday, April 11, Belmont High School students wore their hope and inspiration on T-shirts as nearly 500 teens – nearly half the students in the school – and teachers participated in “Make A Statement Day” when students and staff decorate “Tees” with slogans, images, quotes or symbols to showcase their individuality, passion, and creativity for a day.

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The event – now in its 12th year – before they would be wearing their statement, students headed to the school’s cafeteria Thursday afternoon, April 10, filling each of the tables and many of the benches as they spent their time coming up with their personal messages amidst music and snacks.

“Take some food, take a T-shirt, listen to our free music and have a great time,” said Carrie Jones, who is the senior leader of the “Make A Statement Day” Committee which sponsors and pays for the event.

“Show us what you’re passionate about, write it down and wear it on Friday,” said Jones.

Some of the creations are elaborate and festooned with color while others are straightforward; freshman Ellie Somers wrote “Smile!” in bright block letters while junior Emma Perrow asked a thought-provoking question: “Why is it that our culture is more comfortable seeing two men holding guns than holding hands?”.

For senior Lexi Herosian, her multi-color message is a quote from Roald Dahl: “If you have good thoughts, they will shine out of you like sunbeams, and you will always look lovely.”

“It’s my senior quote, so I wanted to stay with it because I really believe it,” she said.

For Jones, Thursday afternoon was non-stop action; handing out T-shirts (purchased at Champions in Belmont Center) placing newspapers on the tables, and making sure there were enough Sharpies for every group or individual.

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Carrie Jones, senior leader of the “Make A Statement Day” Committee.

 

“For this one day it’s a way to show that we just don’t learn from a textbook, we learn from the world around us, what we are passionate about and we want to talk about it,” said Jones, who has been on the committee since she was a sophomore.

With funding from Belmont Against Racism, D.A.R.E., and the Belmont PTO, the committee – with Jones includes David Sullivan, Ani Somers and Molly Thayer – has made the day a highly-anticipated event on the school calendar.

“It’s pretty amazing proof of the level of talent, passion, and creativity in the students here at [the high school],” said Jones.

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Devan O'Toole, Anika Somers, Sarah Jane Henman and Carrie Jones.

Devan O’Toole, Anika Somers, Sarah Jane Henman and Carrie Jones.

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Grove Street Playground Public Meeting Set for Monday, April 13

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Photo: The Grove Street Playground.

Draft plans for one of Belmont’s most used playgrounds will highlight the third round of public meetings on a proposed Grove Street Playground Master Plan to be held on Monday, April 13, at 7 p.m. at the Beech Street Center, 266 Beech St.

According to the Belmont Department of Public Works, information, data and suggestions gathered at the initial public meetings on March 4 and 9 have been incorporated into several draft design concepts of the playground by consultant Activitas Inc. and are ready to be reviewed for additional feedback.

An Intimate View of Cuba and Its People at the Belmont Gallery of Art

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Photo: Works in “Cuba From a Different Angle”

With US/Cuba relations undergoing rapid and transformative changes, a new photography exhibit opens tonight, Friday, April 10, at the Belmont Gallery of Art that explores the intimate lives of the Cuban people as well as the country’s architecture and geography. 

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The opening reception for “Cuba From a Different Angle” by photographer and Harvard lecturer  Jonathan Hansen, will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the gallery located on the third floor of the Homer Municipal Building, 219 Moore St., in the Town Hall complex.

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“As a historian, I am drawn to the sedimentary quality of private lives, public spaces, and political and cultural institutions. The collection of photographs, … represents my attempt to capture the geological layers of Cuba’s built environment, while conveying the dynamism and exhuberance of its social life,” said Hansen, a lecturer and senior faculty associate at the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies at Harvard. 

The Gallery hours are Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, 1 p.m. to 4.

Sold in Belmont: A Well-Designed Kitchen/Eating Area Sells This 95-Year-Old House

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Photo: Where the kitchen is located.

A weekly recap of residential properties sold in the past seven days in the “Town of Homes.”

• 41 Pequossette Rd. Center-entry Colonial (1922). Sold: $984,900. Listed at $950,000. Living area: 2,028 sq.-ft. 8 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 3.5 baths. On the market: 67 days.

• 52 Alexander Ave. “The White House” Modern colonial, new construction (2014). Sold: $1,885,000. Listed: $2 million. Living area: 3,500 sq.-ft. 9 rooms, 5 bedrooms, 4 full baths. On the market: 208 days.

• 51 Davis Rd. Ranch (1953). Sold: $499,900. Listed at $550,000. Living area: 1,137 sq.-ft. 6 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 2 baths. On the market: 80 days.

• 215 Brighton St. “Old Style” brick house (1929). Sold: $725,000. Listed at $689,000. Living area: 1,504 sq.-ft. 6 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 2 baths. On the market: 70 days.

Four unique homes sold in Belmont last week, with something special in each.

• Do you want to see how to renovate a kitchen? 41 Pequossette Rd. is the place; smart design from sectioning off a place for the preparation with glass kitchen cabinets with drawers and storage, a cooking area, a flush inset refrigerator, a correctly-sized (i.e. small) eating island with the dining area set into a quirkily designed addition that was built with three large windows and a glass door to the porch. Add a minimum number of lighting fixtures and a splash of design features (tiles), you have a kitchen that makes for efficient cooking and enjoyable dining. It certainly brings a modern “pop” to the nearly century old house in the Benton Estates. 

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• The “White House” at 52 Alexander Ave. has it all: modern construction that is special in so many ways with its clean lines and European design sensibilities. In addition, its location has become a big plus, less than a block from the new location of Foodies and the Belmont Farmers Market. If the new owner is a foodie, you’ve struck gold.

• The simple ranch at Davis Road was purchased for just under $500,000 which has brought entry in the the community with an inexpensive residential property. 

• Since the past owner bought the house at 215 Brighton St. for $578,000 early in 2013, they spent $12,000 on the roof, $21,000 to put in a patio and repair the outside stairs and did a good job on the kitchen (love the large floor tiles). They sold it for nearly $150,000 above the past sale price in two years; that’s an annual appreciation rate of $75,000. Not bad. 

Watertown Firm To Head Belmont Center Reconstruction Project

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Photo: What the completion of the Belmont Center Reconstruction project.

The Belmont Board of Selectmen on Wednesday, April 9, awarded Watertown’s Charles Contracting Company a nearly $3 million contract to complete the Belmont Center Reconstruction Project slated to be completed by the end of this year’s construction season.

“I’ve worked with them in the late 80’s and the 90’s and they have a good reputation,” Community Development Director Glenn Clancy told the board of the Rosedale Road firm.

Charles Contracting was the lowest of two bidders, said Clancy, noting the Watertown business’ offer of $2,934,000 was substantially lower than the competing bid of $3.7 million.

Clancy said the relatively high bids on the $2.8 million project was primarily due to the necessity of hiring a number of subcontractors for the work.

“This is not just a curb and street construction job,” said Clancy, noting the project requires electrical infrastructure work and landscaping expertise, forcing the general contractor to seek out the right “sub” to the do the work.

“You risk this type of bid” when there are many specific tasks making up the overall project, Clancy told the board.

In November, 2014, a special town meeting approved a two-part $2.8 million financing plan for the project in which an initial $1.3 million downpayment taken from the town’s free cash account is followed by the town issuing a $1.5 million, 15-year bond with the debt paid from same free cash account.

While slightly higher than the town’s offer, Clancy said funds already spent on underground sewer and water infrastructure will allow the bid to come under budget.

“They can do the work at that price,” Clancy said, noting the offer has a five-percent contingency in the town’s estimate.

Clancy said a timetable for construction would be coming soon, and the town will be setting up a hotline to answer questions or resolve problems.

Clancy expects the work to be completed by Nov. 1 but told the Board final landscaping could be delayed until the spring of 2016.

Baghdady Named Chair of Belmont Board of Selectmen: “Time for Healing”

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Photo: Sami Baghdady.

One year after being elected to the Belmont Board of Selectmen, Sami Baghdady was named the board’s new chair at the first meeting of the group after the Town Election.

“I am honored to be named and selected,” said Baghdady after the board’s meeting Wednesday night, April 8.

Baghdady’s colleague and longest serving member of the board, Mark Paolillo, was named as vice chair.

“I will need your experience” running the board, Baghdady told Paolillo.

A real estate and corporate attorney with a solo practice in Arlington, the nearly life-long resident of Belmont – Butler, Chenery, Belmont High alum – lives with his wife, Rola, and family near Belmont’s Central Square. Before winning election to fill an open seat on the board with the retirement of Ralph Jones, Baghdady is best known for his leadership of the Planning Board from 2010 to 2014.

Baghdady replaces Andy Rojas, defeated in Tuesday’s election to the board’s newest member, Jim Williams.

After the meeting, Baghdady told the Belmontonian his first act as chair will be to bring together both sides of the contentious $4.5 million Proposition 2 1/2 Override ballot question to work towards common goals.

“The time for healing needs to begin,” he said, adding that he will work to highlight the concerns of the supporters of the override – approved by nearly 900 votes Tuesday – and those who raised questions about the amount requested and spending the additional funds in the correct line items.

In the lead up to the election, the level of charges and counter-charges of petty vandalism to political signs and neighbors acting unneighborly to each other over their stance on the override resulted in the Town Clerk and Belmont Police to issue a town-wide notice for all sides on the issue to be more civil in their discourse.

“As I said at the meeting, it is the role of the Board of Selectmen to unite the community since we are all neighbors,” said Baghdady.

Belmont Voters Support Prop 2 1/2 Override to Decisive Victory [Update]

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Photo: Ellen Schrieber, a co-chair of the Yes for Belmont committee.

Endorsing a recommendation to stabilize school funding and help fund road repairs, Belmont voters came out in big numbers to support a $4.5 million Proposition 2 1/2 override during the annual Town Election on Tuesday, April 7.

With a little more than half of all registered voters taking ballots, the “yes” for Question 1 received 4,728 votes, nearly a 900 vote margin over the 3,836 “no” votes.

“We are so grateful to the hundreds of volunteers who made this happen,” said Ellen Schreiber, one of the co-chairs of the “Yes for Belmont” campaign that spearheaded the effort to pass the override.

“The turnout was unbelievable and serves as a tangible reminder of why this is a truly special community,” she said.

Securing a “yes” victory came from two of Belmont’s precincts, 1 and 6 where the yes’ swamped the no vote by 328 and 338 votes.

The “No” side could only take three of the eight precincts (precincts 2, 4, and 8) with margins never reaching triple figures.

After more than a dozen years since the last time voters endorsed hiking property taxes were ready to pony up an average extra $650 a year (on a house assessed at $847,000) for stable school funding and road repair for at least three years. Supporters believe the funds can be stretched up to five years.

Selectman Mark Paolillo, who headed the Task Force, said he viewed the override “as more than just a three year commitment. The [new funds] will sustain us for many years in the future.”

Schreiber agreed with Paolillo, stating the Yes Committee is “thrilled that the town of Belmont has voted to protect our town for future generations.”

“This is the first step in a strategic plan, outlined by the Financial Task Force, that will move Belmont toward more financial stability in the future,” she said.

Since Proposition 2 1/2 was approved by state voters in 1980 (the law went into effect in 1982), Belmont voters have approved half of six override measures on the ballot, the last two “yes” votes were in May 2001 ($3 million) and April 2002 ($2.4 million) for school and town operating expenses.

Before Tuesday’s vote, registered voters rejected the last attempt at an override, a $2 million schools, public safety and roads in June 2010.

The override was recommended by the Financial Task Force, a group created by the Belmont Board of Selectmen in 2014, which sought to secure extra funding to fill a growing deficit – $1.7 million in fiscal year 2016 – facing the Belmont School District due to skyrocketing enrollment and higher expenses, in part due to unfunded state mandates.

Paolillo said he would be reaching out to the leadership of the group who worked to defeat the measure.

“We have to bring the people who voted ‘no’ with the ‘yes’ voters to work together to move us forward,” said Paolillo, and bring them into the Financial Task Force fold.

“This was a spirited campaign, and we want to acknowledge the hard work put in by our opponents. We share the same of goal: making sure Belmont thrives; though we differ about how to achieve that goal,” said Schreiber.

[Update: In an earlier version of this article, it was incorrectly reported the “no” vote received the majority of ballots cast in Precinct 7. That was incorrect; the “yes” side prevailed in the precinct.]